Play mats for children, and in particular babies, are extremely popular. These play mats generally are padded to provide a soft, cushioned surface for the baby to lie on. Preferably the play mats are colorfully decorated to provide a pleasing appearance to the child.
Prior art play mats known to applicant are unitary, padded members. The are commonly square, rectangular, or round, and, by virtue of being a unitary construction, are of a fixed size and dimension. This imposes some limitations on the use of the mat. For example, if there is a need to put the child in an area of the room having limited space that is too small for the play mat, it may not be possible to use the play mat. In addition, the fact that the play mat is of a fixed size and dimension precludes varying the size, dimension or configuration, which might have the effect of providing added visual stimulation for the child.
The present invention overcomes a number of drawbacks of the prior art, unitary play mats.